Lady of the Mourn
by Shadow Rave
Summary: AU I thought it was over. I thought I was doomed to fade into a distant memory. But you wouldn't let me. You couldn't let me go. Thank you.Sora x Aeris
1. Dearly Departed

_Water..._

_So cold..._

_I was immersed in it. Surrounded by it in it's infinite darkness. It's embrace held no mercy for me as it's cold unfeeling touch stole my warmth and feasted upon it greedily. My hands were numb and barely visible. I tried to move but my body refused to yield. My eyes opened tiredly and met with nothing but the deep and dark of oblivion. _

_Funny... I think I've been here before._

_I feel the icy current take me. Sending me to a place uncertain. The darkness creeps ever forward. Ever forward. I want to cry out, scream, say something but I have no voice. The current just continues to carry me, it's destination unknown. _

_I hate it._

_Then I feel a burning, desperate pain and realize I've been holding my breath too long. I panic and flail about helplessly as my eyes search frantically for the surface. My salvation. Nothing. Nothing but darkness. Nothing at all. With no other choice, I exhale and breathe again before I catch myself. That's when I realize I've been breathing air. Real air! Divine Air! Amazing air! My panic subsided replaced with pure joy. But I was still in water... strange._

_So very strange._

_I take another breath. Still air! I suck it all in for all it's worth. Happiness. Pure jubilation for the right of the living. Light amongst the chill for the simplist of things. I smile for what seems to be the first time amongst an eternity. I laugh but the sound is unheard and swallowed by darkness that infests this chasm. _

_Why have I been brought here?_

_As if to answer my question, the chill leaves me and I catch a flicker of light dancing infront of me. It is far away but it is certain. I try to swim and smile as my limbs respond just fine. The cold is gone replaced by an increasingly gnawing desire to reach that light. I swim. Atleast I think I swim towards it. I feel like an eternity has gone by. I'm tired of the darkness. I just want to be with that light. I just want to feel warm again. Not this frozen nothingness that tries to leech into your very soul. _

_The journey turns into a race. A race against what? I have no idea. Time? Time has no place here. No meaning. Fate? Perhaps but I wonder... Life? Death? Certainly. My desperation festers and the darkness around me tries to devour the light. But I must reach it! To fail is to lose everything. To fail is to lose EVERYTHING!_

_At least that's what I feel. Since when did reason exist here? What knowledge was I privy to? _

_The answer was nothing. I had no reason at all to suspect any of this was nothing but a very convincing illusion. Yet my heart believed. My eyes believed. My entire being believed. That was all the difference that I would need. _

_And on that note I try harder. I want to reach that light. Even if it costs me everything. Even if I lose myself in the process. My arms stretch forward. My hands spread wide. I push through the strange water with all my might. The light is closer. I can feel the warmth like a flickering shadow. It pulses with the rythm of my own heart. I echo the sweet melody that I feel more then I can hear. I can feel hope building within. It rises within my pitiful depths and fills it. I continue to claw forward. The light is all that matters now. The darkness means nothing. It is nothing. Absolutely nothing but an after thought. _

_Hope begets desire. And desire begets strength. The light. The warmth. I want it all for myself. The darkness can't have it. I won't let them have it. _

_And then I reach it._

_And the world turns white._

_The next thing I know, I feel like I'm flying. Or maybe I'm floating? Can't be too sure but the darkness is gone. Hey, that's always cool! But where am I? _

_The sky is dark. Night's embrace apparant with the light of a thousand stars gathering and bathing this place in an etheral glow. This was no place I've ever been to. For that I was sure. And yet the place had an unearthly air. Hundreds of tree's surrounded a small lake encased in a bright crystallized sheen, frozen as the beacon. The guide of an age long forgotten. _

_Silence hung in the air so thick, it was almost tangible. A place so sacred and divine but I felt it. This place served as the last remnants of a distant memory. A sorrowful history that remained unheard. Perhaps... this place may not exist at all. _

_At last I had heard something. Footsteps tredding down the worn path. I turn and realize that I'm not alone here. At first little more then a silhouette I blink, placing a hand over my eyes to help filter away the sudden burst of light. The light begins to fade and I see someone. Dark muddy brown boots over baggy blue-ish purple trousers held up with a dark cross belt. A matching sleeveless shirt with hidden mythril plating was worn with a few distinct tares indicating a recent battle. His left shoulder was protected with an iron guard with several bolts that stuck out of it for an increasingly intimidating look. The man wasn't overly tall. Just a bit bigger then myself. Blue eyes held true but obscurred by a few strands of blond spikey hair. The sword was missing but the blade did little to take away from the image. _

_Cloud Strife walked slowly to the lake surrounded by trees of crystialized memory. His face a stony mask of grim resolve. But I saw through it quickly. Past the stony visage was a man burdened with grief, tears held back by years of hardened training. In his arms, he was carrying someone. A red short sleeved jacked covered a pink flowing dress. Dark brown silken hair tied with a pink bow spilled over Cloud's gauntleted arm. The face, innocent with an air of quiet dignity while little brown boots dangled helplessly. Her eyes however were closed. Cloud took it all in stride as he refused to stray from the grim mindset._

_"What was wrong?" I spoke for the first time, my voice hollow, weak and ghostly,. It echoed and bounced along the silent abode with nothing but a spikey haired acquaintance to follow the noise with heavy footsteps. I run over to him being extra careful not to trip over myself._

_"Hey! Cloud?"_

_The arena competitor ignores me. _

_"Cloud?" I ask putting a hand on his shoulder. Only for it to pass right through it._

_"What the?" _

_Gobsmacked, I look at my hand turning it over and back. Gloved as it is, it seems to be okay. Nothing transparant about it. No injuries either. _

_"Cloud?" I call out to him again but I recieve the same result. _

_What if... what if he can't hear me?_

_"Cloud!" I call out yet again testing my theory._

_He doesn't even flinch. I sigh dejectedly and just follow him. The warrior's pace is slow and as somber as the mood that had fallen upon the area. I feel a lump in my throat and I don't know why. At last we finally approach the lake which seem's to be Cloud's destination. Why he decided to stop here is beyond me. Cloud just takes a deep breath and walks into the waters still carrying the woman in pink._

_"What's going on?" I ask scratching the back of my equally spikey brown head. Of course, at this point I know I'm not getting an answer. Cloud heads deeper into the waters and is now in at waist height. I'm tempted not to follow. I've already had a bad enough experience with water just a little while ago but I swallow and keep up with the pair. Cloud on his part seems to be speaking to the sleeping girl. Whatever he says, I can't hear it. Even when I'm only a few feet away. The girl... I could see was very pretty. Her beauty simply shined even in her sleep. _

_And then Cloud let's go and the girl in pink is swallowed by the lake. _

_"Cloud!" I scream out wondering what the hell he's thinking. He doesn't hear me obviously. I bite my lip half expecting her to come up for air. fifteen seconds go by. She doesn't. _

_"Cloud!" I scream out again. He does nothing but stare at the descending girl forlornly. _

_Expecting no help from him, I take a deep breath and dive down after her. Why wasn't she waking up? She continues to descend quickly but I'm only a few feet away. The girl's hair ribbon unties itself and threads of long dark hair spread outward under the waters sway. _

_"Com'on Sora! Get your ass moving and swim!" I tell myself._

_Precious seconds tick away. I swim harder. Why is she going down this fast? _

_The universe must hate me because now she's descending even faster. I won't give up. I have to get her out of here. I'm about to resort to an ability taught to me by a friend at atlantica when I feel myself being pulled right down along with her. I want to cry out to her but I don't even have a name and the water wouldn't carry my voice anyway. I'm running out of air myself. But I can't abandon her. Not... when I... can save her._

_But how?_

_"But... how...-" _

_I have no answer as I become swallowed in the chilling darkness that surrounds everything._

**:-----------------------------: **

_Who are you? _A whisper calls out to me.

My eyes flash open. The worlds a blur as I tumble out of... something. I land hard, sprawling out on my back. I grimace as a brief pain hits me sharply and then fades to a dull throb. The world continues to spin for but a moment before I gather my bearings. My eyesight clears and I... seem to be in my room...

"Huh?"

Double checking my surroundings, yeah, it's definitely my room. Right down to the flipped over Zanarkand Abes blanket. My heart is racing. Just a dream. I breathe deeply calming myself down. When I think I've finally managed to get a hold of myself, I rest on the wooden floor laughing nervously and holding my forhead.

That dream... just what was that? It had been terrible. I nearly ended up drowning twice! And that girl...

That's when I realize that my hair is wet. Down right soaked actually. Infact my white t-shirt and boxers are completely soaked in cold water.

It was just a dream... right?

**A/N: This fanfic is based on the premise that Aeris (Aerith) and Sephiroth are dead and did not appear in the current saga of Kingdom Hearts. I'm a big fan of the pairings Sora x Aeris, and Sora x Tifa but there are very few of them out there. So I'd thought I'd contribute one myself and see how that works out. Sorry if the first chapter seems a bit short. I promise the next one will be easily twice as long. **


	2. Disconnected

**A/N: This story is built on the premise that Sephiroth and Aeris were dead and had no previous involvement in the saga of Kingdom Hearts. **

**? POV**

_Darkness. Black, cold, daunting, and unrelenting. It surrounds me hoping to devour what's left of what I desperately call an existance. _

_Even so I pay it no mind and let my thoughts drift since it's all I have. And I'm home and I can breath the air. It isn't exactly fresh but it's real enough. The darkness shifts and turns into a room with walls, and then it shifts again. Light pierces through a newly made window as it expands and cut's off into four pieces. The room expands and forms several smaller rooms along with a stairway. Carpets appear under a wooden table and chairs with two plates and a pitcher filled with tea. Artificial sunlight filters through the windows where it dances on the tiled kitchen floor. I hear a door open and I smile knowing who it is before she makes herself known. A middle-age woman with light brown hair, my mom, Elmyra is home from another tiring day at work and collapses on the couch. _

_I frown as I place my basket on the counter knowing I didn't sell as many flowers as I would have liked. Oh well._

_"Hi Mom!" I call out. She turns to me and gives the slightest hint of a smile and nod before she zones out at a blank tv screen. It wasn't unusual for her to do that. Most people tend to zone out for a bit after a tiring work day anyway. I walk towards her but then I shiver. Turning around, the windows open letting in a gentle breeze. Locks of chocolate brown hair fall in front of my eyes and I brush it away with my fingertips. _

_And a smile forms._

_And I'm talking with my mom. She tells me a joke but I don't remember the words. I laugh anyway though and stand up going for the pitcher. I pour a glass for both her and me. She takes a sip and puts the glass down. I take a sip too and feel a distinct warmth but no real taste. Inwardly I frown but instead pay attention to mom who's speaking to me but no words are being said. I understand it anyway though and laugh. _

_And we sit there and talk like that for what seems like an eternity. I can't hear what she says but I know what she speaks. And I feel both warm and cold inside. Then I notice a plate of muffins right before me and I smile. It doesn't matter that I don't remember making them. It doesn't matter that they weren't on the table a minute ago. Mom doesn't seem to care about it either. So neither do I._

_I grab a hold of one of them and I know that it's warm and moist. And I know it'll be sweet when I taste it. Mom grabs one too and we both eat. It's delicious but it tastes like nothing. I want more though and take another bite. _

_Except I miss and my eye sight is hot and blurry. And tears run down my cheeks where they drop and land on the wooden stairway I find myself sitting on. Sobs are caught in my throat but one escapes in a pathetic whimper of a cry. Instantly I know mom's making her way down the stairs and that she's with me._

_And the planet whispers to me._

_And the tears continue as I try to hide them with my hands._

_"What's wrong?" Mom asks me bending over and holding me in an embrace. I don't hear her words but I know that's what she said. I try to speak but the words get caught in my throat. _

_And I want to tell her. I want to tell her so much but I don't know how._

_And the planet comforts me but it only makes me feel worse. _

_"What's wrong?" mom asks me again but there's nothing I can say to her And I only want to cry harder now._

_And the planet whispers to me._

_I blink and the room fades. And my mom smiles just before she fades too. The house fades and instead I'm kneeling at a flower bed. And my smile returns as I water the flowers. They don't need it of course but it makes me feel better. I touch one and it seems to bloom right in front of me. _

_I love flowers. _

_"Don't you agree Cloud?" I ask and turn to see the ex-SOLDIER. He stairs blankly at the hole he very well made himself with a blank expression. _

_"I guess" he says taking note of his surroundings. An abandoned sanctuary with the floor boards uprooted. The rest of the church is made of old cobble stone that reaches half way towards the podium and then stops . A pillar of artificial light erupts from a hole in the roof while high wooden beems keep whats left of it intact._

_"I guess? That's all?" _

_He just simply shrugs at that. Not knowing what to say myself, I just turn my attention to the flowers again. _

_But the flowers are gone and we're moving inside a cart. Cloud and me. And I see him smiling. Actually smiling! He stares at me for a moment and then turns to a window at the side of the cart. I look too and gasp. The stars shine so brightly I could swear it was all for me. Brighter still as I hear a booming noise and watch as several stars shoot outward and explode with so much color I'm nearly overwhelmed. I love fireworks! _

_Maybe Cloud does too? _

_I turn back to Cloud who's still staring out the window. His smile is gone but I can tell he's still quite relaxed. I smile. It's really hard for him to let his guard down and I know we're eventually gonna have to stop Sephiroth but I'm just glad that atleast for now he can stop and enjoy himself. If only for a little while. _

_And the planet whispers to me._

_No! It's too soon! I leap from my seat to embrace Cloud but I'm not there in time. The world and my memory shatters. I feel like I'm falling. All the warmth I felt before is gone and a chill bites deep into my fingers. And I cry out for all it's worth but I know no one hears me. _

_Alone... once again. Realization dawns. Sephiroth is dead. Cloud killed him and stopped Meteor from destroying all. As a cetra, my duty was to protect the planet. I did what was asked of me and prayed for Holy with the white materia. And it worked sort of because Holy wasn't enough and the life stream was needed in the end. And I helped there too because I couldn't stand to see the planet I love so much die. To see everyone die. To see children die. To see my friends die. To see Cloud die._

_Especially not Cloud._

_And knowing that I had the power to stop all that..._

_And then I see Cloud again but he's not smiling anymore. I stare right into his eyes, as crystal blue as they are but he doesn't notice me. His hands drop uselessly to his sides but someone grabs a hold of one of them. I look up to find Tifa who is smiling at Cloud sadly. He stares at her for a moment but his expression doesn't change. He doesn't speak but I hear the words "It's all my fault.". _

_Is that what he thought?_

_I blink and feel pain lance through my back and stomach. I look down with almost detached amusement to see a silvery sheen soaked in blood. And with it, I feel my life slip away. Blood continues to flow, running down my dress and staining it red. I know the pain is agonizing but it feels so far away. Everything is so far away. I look up and see Cloud who is simply stunned pale with disbelief. I smile sadly and feel my eyelids begin to close. My breathing is light and shallow and my heart beat slows. I feel tired. So very tired. I try to fight it but the pain is too much. And I feel myself sleep. Even with my eyes half open. _

_Cloud's so very far away. _

_The darkness returns and I blink away tears that don't really exist. I don't want to be here anymore. I don't want to sleep anymore._

_Alone... so alone._

_"Please!" I cry out desperately. "Someone please hear me!"_

_A passing glimps..._

_A flicker so dim I almost didn't notice it. But all feeling I had before is lost. I try to move but even that is lost to me. Even so somewhere deep down, I know someone did hear me. A rigid chill runs up and down my back and my eyes flash open._

_And a hand is reaching toward me. _

**Sora's POV**

I swung hard with my blade knowing instantly that my opponent ducked under the strike with the ease I expected him to. I twist around this time going low, extending my right arm to cleave just above the disturbed sandy turf where his shin would be. He leaps away in a back flip while I regain my footing and press forward bringing my arms back and wooden sword positioned for a piercing strike.

"Nice try." He taunts as I miss the white and yellow vest he's wearing by a hairsbreath. White, silvery hair caked in sweat, Riku breaks left and behind that oh so incredibly annoying palm tree. I break off my attack just in time as my sword (little more then a sharpened wooden stick with a hilt)misses just short of the palm tree's bark. Riku leaps on top of a branch and leaps again, his own wooden sword brought behind his head, he crys out in a would be powerful leaping slash.

I leap back too as Riku's wooden sword slaps the ground hard. He's not one to miss an opportunity either as he dashes forward in a blur of silver and gold. I leap up high and throw all my momentum into a backflip. Then I curl inwards and stick my sword out. I smirk as I feel a hard impact and hear a grunt. It's a signature move of mine as well as a great counter and Riku falls for it pretty often. My silver haired friends charge is stopped and I kick off the sand upon landing.

Our swords clash hard but I break it off quickly bringing my own sword back to strike his side. His sword is there quicker then mine and deflects it away. He twists around trying to land a hard elbow at my jaw but I let his attack pass harmlessly over my head. I take my sword in both hands and thrust the flat into Riku's chest.

He feels it worse then I do for obvious reasons and falls to the ground with a dull thud.

"That does it!" He barks and finds his feet alot sooner then I would have given him credit for. But then again, this is Riku we're talking about. Master of the impossible. He charges at me again much faster then before for a slash at the waist. I deflect it away but Riku takes it in stride spinning around to hit my bicep. I block that too but Riku's fluid strikes are getting faster and much more unpredictable. I'm frantically flailing my sword in a hasty defense but Riku's damn fast and manages to clip my leg and get a good hit at my ribcage. I grunt with the pain but otherwise bare with it.

That's not the end of it though. Riku switches to his left hand while twisting to strike my shoulder. I bound left and just under the strike and counter it with an upwards slash of my own. He expectantly blocks and I pull my blade back for a thrust. He dodges right and I redirect my blade towards where he bounds. Desperately he brings his own sword to block again but I've left him off balance. I twist in the opposite direction and kick his legs out from under him. Riku falls again and rolls away just in time to avoid being pierced by a childrens toy.

At this point we're both breathing heavy. Not to mention that the sun is aggravatingly hot.

I'm panting heavily as I bring my blade forward to face Riku. He's doing the same but I catch the smallest glimpse of a smirk forming. He's enjoying this quite a bit.

"What d'ya say Sora? Shall we take this up a notch?"

I blink, but a grin begins to form on my face to match his own.

"Sure. Why not?"

"Rules?"

"Magic and skills. No drives. No summons. No items."

"How about Limit Breaks?"

I didn't think too much on it.

"Okay."

"First one to call it quits loses."

Of course, I probably should've.

I have no time to think much about it either as Riku's wooden sword disolves and a much more intimidating weapon forms. His blade was a demonic wing that conflicted with the more angelic formed hilt. A second angel wing rested just before the tip of the guilded keyblade. A sword of darkness in constant struggle with the light. As was Riku's fate. A way to the dawn. Fitting. My own arm vibrates anxiously as I flip a mental switch in my mind. Instantly I feel power coursing through my vains. My own wooden sword disappears to be replaced by a new cooler weight. It forms with a golden hilt that splits off into a key top. A slight blue groves separates the gold from the silver that forms instantly. A keychain of the King's symbol forms within pure silver. The tip forms not as an edge but a potent silver rod shaped at the end as a key.

The kingdom key in all it's infinite glory. Actually, it's appearance was rather plain in comparision to the other keyblade forms at my disposal. But this was simply a sparring match. Not a gore fest. There was no need.

In an instant the two of us are at eachother again at blinding speeds. I take the initiative early weaving the keyblade in complex V slashes then twisting around to strike a third time at the shins. Riku blocks each shot before pushing me away and following through with a powerful arcing strike. I deflect it away, albeit barely and counter with three quicker (weaker) slashes at waist height. Riku's even faster now, deflecting veteran strikes as if they were clumsy reckless flailing. I'm not one to give up either though so I pick up the pace. Kingdom Key is a blur of silver and gold as it spins around repelling my rival. I spin right along with it in complete harmony with my blade. The momentum I build is intense and my focus sharpens. Left to right. Down to up. Instinct takes over while tension rises. In jagged figure-eights I slash and continue to pick up speed. Even Riku is having trouble keeping up with me now and compensates by backing away. I leap quickly in pursuit and for the first time that I've seen him, Riku panics. His own instinct telling him to rely on his magic for the time being. And so he does as blue-ish purple flames consume his left hand. He unleashes it as an orb of blue flames the size of a basketball.

He used it first not me.

"Reflega!" I cry out as the flames bounce harmlessly off the barrier I created and out of harms way. Desperate, Riku leaps forward to meet my charge. Our blades bounce off each other hard. For an instant my arm goes numb but I ignore it opting to gain ground on the silver haired boy instead. Riku's Dark Firaga magic works itself into his blade as it bursts into a blazing sword of magic.

I swing hard to throw my opponent off balance. It works but not as well as I hope. Regardless I leap high as several more bursts of Dark Firaga miss me by mere inches. A fourth blast is right on target only to be deflected midair by my Kingdom Key.

_If it's a magic war he wants..._

I call upon my mana reserves as an orb of darkness begins to from.

_Then it's a magic war he'll get._

"Graviga!" I cry out as the expanding orb falls down to Riku. The blast impacts hard as the silver haired boy struggles to fight the magic with his own power. I don't care though because he won't be ready for this. I call upon my magic again, this time as rath from the heavens.

"Thundaga!"

Thunderbolts split the sky in a devasting display of power heading towards the expanding orb of Graviga where it's absorbed into the distorted gravity. A wave of frosty warmth fills me while air heats within the orb that has become a vacuum of explosive energy. Riku doesn't even realize it until it's too late.

Few would find themselves sleeping this hour. But even if they were, they're wide awake now. The initial shock wave caused the ground to shake immensely. The blast that followed was something that easily rivaled the best movies had to offer. And poor Riku is sent flying back first and out cold where he hits the sandy beach in a dull thud.

I land just shy of the smouldering crater I caused. About fifteen feet in diameter and considerably deep.

Perhaps I over did it a bit?

Oh well. Game over. Looks like I win.

I rush over to Riku who is still out cold. The sea rolls in and out just missing the boy by a few feet. Once I make it over, I kneel down grabbing his shoulder.

"Hey Riku! You okay?"

I'm sure he'll be fine. He's been through alot worse then that fireworks display I just pulled off. My silver haired friend's eyes open slowly and I'm met with a souring groan.

"Ugh... what was the number of that truck?" I smirk.

"That be me."

He laughs.

"Figures. The damn spikey haired runt is kicking ass."

"Your ass."

"Yeah my ass." He huffs. I offer him a hand and he takes it.

"Holy cow!"

We both turn to see Tidus and Wakka who are looking at us with expressions bordering awe. I blink as does Riku.

"That was awesome! You two definitely gotta teach me some moves." states the blonde.

"You were watching the fight?" I ask. Then slap my head. Of course they were.

"Right from da beginning man." Wakka answered for Tidus who glared at his friend in return.

"Ah Sora?" The blitzball maniac continues. "You may want ta fix dat pot hole. Cause some problems later on ya?"

Riku and I blink again. Yeah... I might just wanna do that.

"Hey Sora?" Tidus asks this time. "What's with the ribbon?"

"Huh?" I ask. What ribbon?

"You know. The one on your arm."

My arm?

I blink again and stare at both arms. The one on my right is perfectly normal save for some bumps and bruises from sparring. The one on my left though...

Just past the darkened sleeve is a thin pink ribbon tied and wrapped around my arm.

What the heck?

_Who are you? _Someone calls to me.

**A/N: Wow, this took alot longer then I hoped. Several problems here. For one early lack of reviews did hurt my inspiration as shallow as that is. Second was I got struck with the Flu. Even as I post this chapter, I'm still not completely over it. **

**So how's my fight scene attempt? I tried to get a feeling of Advent Children here but I think I fell short. Oh well. R and R guys. I'll try to get the next chapter up as fast as possible.**


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